All Afternoon in the Kitchen (Again!) & Easy Beef-Carrot-Spinach Curry

My neighbor and I are taking a meal to our other neighbor Naomi, who has a newborn baby. R is delivering the ham tomorrow, but I needed to take my stuff today because Tuesday is always busy around here. My husband is also on his vegan regime now which requires a lot more advance planning on my part. So today I spent all afternoon in the kitchen, making:

*pasta salad with basil-pesto sauce (for Naomi's family--something sturdy that should be fine the next day)

*sweet and sour broccoli-cheddar salad (ditto)

*gluten-free chocolate gingerbread (a house favorite; Naomi loves it)

*pasta salad with basil-pesto sauce, cracked pepper, white beans, garlic and chopped spinach--a huge bowl for my husband for the week 

*chipotle-lime black bean & veggie burritos topped with enchilada sauce (another big batch for my husband's meals)

*a big tray of crudite for our consumption over the next few days

*a simmering pot of coconut-y curried beef with carrots and spinach for my children's dinner (adding the technique below because it turned out so well and my children want me to make it again!  I just made it up on the fly.)

Okay, I'm done for the day.  Tomorrow I think we'll be looking at tilapia and sweet potatoes and broccoli--a quiet, easy supper!

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Beef, Carrot and Spinach Curry

*Saute 2 lb. ground beef in large pot
*Add as many carrots as you like, cut into thin sticks, and saute for a few minutes
*Add 2 T. curry powder + 2 T. (more or less) of red curry paste + 2 cans coconut milk (full-fat is nice) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer...simmer until the carrots are cooked and soft
*If the mixture seems too thick and you want to thin it out (I did), add some liquid until it is the consistency you want....you could use water or any broth (I used vegetable stock)
*Ten minutes before serving, throw in several generous handfuls (or more!) of chopped spinach...next time I'll add some cilantro, too

You can serve over rice, or just plain in a bowl topped with mango chutney and/or peanuts!